Electric bell



1 1 6332138l June 21, 927 L. E RICHMCND f ELECTRIC: BELL med July 24.192e` :s sheets-sheet 1 rigs Juney 21, Y1927. 1,633,288

L.. E. RICHMOND ELECTRIC BELL Filed July 24. 192'0 s. sheets-Smmu 2 June21 1927.

- L 1,633,288 L. E. RICHMOND ELECTRIC BELL Filed July 2 4 1920 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 21, 1927.

g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS E. RICHMOND, `or CLEVELAND, OHIO, AsvsIeNoR, BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS,To THE AUTOCALL COMPANY, OE SHELBY, OHIO, A CORPORATION OE OHIO.

ELECTRIC BELL.

This invention relates to electric bells, such as are used for signaland alarm systems. n

One object of the invention is to provide an improved elect-ricbellhaving an exposed gong and providedy with operating mechanism which isenclosed within a sealed casing so as to be proot against water,moisture, gases, fumes, and the like. A further ob'- ject of theinvention is to provide a bell of this kind adapted to receivegongs ofvarying sizes and consequently' of more or, less powerful andpenetrating' sound, and which bell is also adapted for direct connectionto a wall or other supporttor open wiring, or to an outlet or junctionbox tor conduit wiring. K

A further object of the invention is to provide 11a waterproof bellwhich is suitable for ilse'e'ither as a vibrating or as a single strokebell, and either with direct or alternating current, and which iseflioient as re# gai-ds the magnetic field and effects when used withalternating current. A further object ot'the invention is tor provide anelectric bell whose working parts are supported by a frame ot snnplevconstruction capable oil beiner assen'ibled without soldering. rivet-`?1 b ing, welding, or other expensive operations.

Furtl'icr objects of thev invention are in part obvious and in part willappear more in detail hereinafter.

1nr the drawings, 1 represents a central sectional elevation through oneform ot' bell embodying the invention.,v and showing the same attachedto a junction box; F iff. 2 is a similar section through another form ofbell base; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the bell; Fig. 4 is a detailelevation illus` trating a portion of the bell base shown in Fig. '2;Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the bell with the junction box and otherparts omit ted to expose interiorparts; F ig.l 6 isa fronty elevationot' the junction box shown in ig. 1; F ig. 7 is a` detail rear elevationillustratinfrY the vibrating contacts; F 8 is a detail sectional viewonv` the line 8--8, Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a detail vside, elevationillustrating the means for securing together the belll casing andjunction box or bell base; Fig. 1() is a detail view of the armature armand contactsv thereon; Fig. 11 is a -detail sectional' view on the lineyl1-11, Fig. 1, looking in the direction ofthe arrows Fig. v12 isa de-Dvided and this application filed July 24,

Serial N o. 398,644.

tail perspective view or' the magnet frame; Fig. 13 is a similar viewillustrating the parts of said trame prior to assembly there on; andFig. 14 is a. sectional view of the compression contact.

The bell illustrated in the drawing comprises a hollow casing or frame 1having an inner chamber 2, and which may be of any suitable shape butwhich is shown as ot' generally circular :form in front elevation, asshown in Fig. 3. The front of said casing is closed by a wall 3 havinga` vertically`extending centrally disposed thickened portion or rib 4.The annular wall or flange 5 ot the casing, at its rear edge, is formedto lit either a shallow base or closing plate 6 for open wiring, or thewall of a conduit or outlet box 7, as may be desired. Those parts whichare to be secured directly to the wall or other support, such as thebase 6 and box 7, are provided on their rear faces with several shallowsj'iacing` pads 8 and near their upper portions with perforated ears 9to receive bolts for securing them to the support. On either side saidbase 6 and box 7 are also provided with screws 10 pivoted thereto onpins 11, said screws having nuts 12 held permanently thereon by suitablydeforming they outer ends of the screws. lVhen the bell casing is pushedinto place on its seat on the base 6 or box 7, as the case may be, saidscrews are swung into position be.

tween the ears 13 on the bell casingv and the nuts larescrcwed up tosecurely fasten the parts.4 This connection is easily made and enablesthe bell mechanism to be readily 'removed from its supporting part, whendesired. In installing a' signal system the full wiring system can befirst laid in place with all junction boxes or wall bases closed byblank plates, asr is usual, and the bells can be later installed asdesired or when needed by merely removing the blank plates and puttingthe bells in place.

Base 6" near its bottom and on its inner` facev is preferably providedwith a rib or raised portion 14, forming a pocket or recess 15 adjacentto the openings 16 for the lead wires; Conduit box 7 may be providedwith onel or more openings for lead wiresv closed by ordinaryknock-outs17 or threaded to receive conduit, as indicatedV at 1S, as desired.Indeed, .any arrangement is suitable in' which ythe connection oftheconduit to thel junction bot: may be made water-tight, 18 represents asealing gasket.

ilo the front wall ot the casing is secured the gong i9. Said gong ispreterably prot; 1 @i n f )assed through the oneninoin said a )ron t, ,Ll1

and then into the bell casing. The apron thereby serves as en additionalgong support.

Gongs ot various sizes may be readily secured to the same bell casing,the only essential recuirement being that the upper rim portion ot thegong which is to be struck Jy the hammer or clapper should always lie atthe same point7 regardless et the size et the gong. Various sizes ot`gongs may be attached by locating several threaded openings 2* i'orreceiving the bolt Q3, and the corresponding openings in the tongue 25,at ditt'erent elevations along the rib 4, or, ditlerent sizes ot apronsmay be used for the ditierent gongs.

The upper portion ot the box or casing is provided with an inner crosswall Q5 and two pa allel vertically extending inner side walls 2Tforming a nari'ow outer chamber :2S opening out through a vertical slot29 in the trent casing wall. A vertical portion ot the wall 2G serves asa seat to receive and support a bearing for the shaft o't` the strikinghammer or clapper 30. Said bearing comprises two hollow members 31, 32provided respectively with an interlocking' rib and groove, as shown at335 and held together and to the wall 26 by bolts Bil. Mounted to rotatein an opening between said bearing members is a short shaft 35 providedwith a non-circular reduced portion 3G to which is secured the shank otthe clapper or hammer. Said shank is slotted longitudinally at its endand is slipped laterally into place on the shaft, after which it issecured in place by peening over the ends of the shank or soldering orwelding it in place, as desired. On either side ot said shank the shaitand bearing members are provided with interlocking collars and grooves37 Iforming a tortuous passage way to prevent entrance ot moisture intothe chamber 2, the joints being further sealed it desired by feltwashers 37a.

rl"he clapper or hammer on its outer end is provided with a strikinghead 38 formed by perforating an enlarged circular portion ot' the shankand securing thereto by a. rivet 39 one or more washers l0, as may bedesired. This construction enables the weight of the hammer to beadjusted by using the proper number and weight ot washers tor anyparticular size ot gong or strength of bell stroke desired.

Shaft 35 has secured thereto a bail Lil, which may be made ot strongwire or rod and which is in general ot U-torm, the arms ot said bailbeing passed through and secured in openings in the ends ot the shaft.rlhis bail terms an operating connection trom the mechanism in cavity 2to the hammer or clapper 30.

.lllithin the cavity 2 is located an electromagnet so arranged as to becapable ot actuating the bell hammer when energized by current passingthrough its coil. Said electromagnet is preferably so constructed andits coil is so wound as to be capable ot operation upon eitheralternating current cir cuits ot relatively high voltage or upon directcurrent circuits. As illustrated7 the electromagnet comprises a coil l2wound about one ot the legs or poles 43 ot' a magnet core whose otherleg is indicated at lit. T he magnet core shown is ot Utorm, its legs i3and i-fl and base l5 being integral with each other and being made up inlaminated form as shown in Fig. ll to reduce eddy current eiects andenable the coil to lie indefinitely on closed circuit without undueheat-ing. The laminations ot the core are held together and to the bellcasing or box by a support-ing trame 4G. Said supporting trame comprisestwo like side members provided with ears al through which screws 47a arepassed into the bell casing, while the laniinations ot' the core aresecured between the side members otl the frame by rivets 4S.

The side members ot the magnet trame are held together by a cross bar ormember 49;/ the joint between said trame member and said cross bar beingot peculiar form. As indicated in Figs. l2 and 13 each side trame membernear the outer end ot its leg is pro vided with corner notches 50 andbetween the same and at a lower level with an opening 5l.. The cross bar19 is blanhed out so as to provide at each end a pair ot short tongues52 extending beyond the shoulder 53, and between said tongues with alonger tongue 5a whose outer end is depressed below the body or t-hebar. The two trame parts are assembled by passing the tongues 5lot across bar through the openings 5l in the traine parts and with tongues52 entering the notches 50 until the shoulders 53 abut the side tameparts. lVhile holding the parts in this position the ends ot the longertongues 5s are bent over as shown at l-ig 'l27 thereby iirmly andsolidly unit ing the parts, but permitting a slight amount ot yield sothat the trame readily accommodates itself to t-he laminations which itis to hold.

The projecting legs of the side trame parts serve as vsupports for anarmature arm, for which purpose they are provided with elongatedopenings 56. The armature arm comprises a metal strap 57 bent'in'toU-form and having an armature portion 58 formed by securing between thearms of said U a series of laminations. At the lower end of saidarmature is a cross pin 59 whose opposite ends extend through theelongated openings 56. The upper end of the U-frame of the armature armindicated at 60 lies opposite and behind the bail 4-1 of the bellclapper.

As will be observed the legs or poles of the magnet core lieperpendicular to the front. wall or base of the bell casing, while theneutral portion of the core lies parallel thereto. rlhe magnet core istherefore located in an efiicient position as regards concentration ofthe magnetic flux, so that leakage. of magnetism to surrounding massesof metal is reduced or minimized. At each energization of theelectromagnet by passing current through its coil the armature 58 isattracted and swings to the left in Fig. 1 from the dotted line to thefull line position, the upper endof said armature arm cooperating' withthe clapper bail to throw the -clapper upwardly and engage the gong.

Pin 59 has loose sliding motion horizontally in the elongated slots 56,so that the lower end of the armature invariably settles with fullcontact against the lower pole or leg of the core. When the core iscle-energized, however, the armature swings away from the core, due tothe weight of the clapper, and the pin 59 moves inthe slots 56. n

Preferably the armature is so arranged that in its final positiononenergization it contacts directly with the upper magnet pole, so' as toproduce a practically completely closed magnetic field. Also, thecontacts on the armature at the upper magnet pole are of special formdesigned to withstand the heavy blows encountered in the extremely heavyservice to which the bell is subject and to prevent freezing or stickingot' the armature to the magnet core by the effects of the residualmagnetism. In the present instance the contacts comprise one or moresmall masses of suitable non-magnetic metal, Such as a phosphor bronzecomposition, as indicated at firmly secured to the laminations of thearmature in intimate electrical contact therewith. The attachment ispreferably made by a welding operation, such as by holding small piecesof phosphor bronze metal against the laminations of the armature andwelding the same thereto by an acetylene or Oxy-hydrogen flame, afterwhich the contacts are ground or filed off to a. fiat contactingsurface. On its backward movement the armature arm swings to the rightin Fig. 1, while the clapper or hammer drops. To deaden the sound thecasing wall may be provided with a cavity to receive a felt cushion 61against which the hammer seats in its retracted position.

The bell may also be provided with means for limiting outward movementof the ar ature away from its coil, to prevent said armature from movingto a. position beyond the effective pull of the coil. rlhis result maybe accomplished by securing beneath the screws 34 a metal strip`62 whoselower end serves as a stop or abutment for the armature member 57. Theoutward swing of the armature arm can be readily adjusted by bendingthis metal strip inwardly or outwardly, as shown by the dotted linesFig. 1.

The electrical connections to the coil are preferably so arranged thatthe wiring to the shallow base 6 or junction box 7 can be firstcompleted and the electrical connection to the coil is thereafter made.by merely attaching the bell casing with the mechanism therein directlyto the base or junction box. For this purpose the bell casing isprovided at suitable places in its cavity 2, for example one on eitherside of the magnet frame, with compression contacts 65', from each ofwhich contacts a wire leads to the magnet coil, said contacts beingmounted on brackets 69. One of said contact-s is shown in detail in Fig.14. It comprises ai tubular base 66 of insulating material in which islocated a plunger 67 pressed outwardly by a spring 68. Said spring seatsagainst a conducting base 70 connected by the lead wire 71 tothe coil.Plunger 67 normally extends slightly beyond the edge of the wall offlange 5. Similar compression contacts 7 2 are located within theconduit box 7 or shallow Abase 6, as the case may be, and in suchposition as to register with those in the bell casing when the casing isapplied to thebase. Therefore. mere' attachment of the bell casing' tothe base or conduitbox completes the electrical circuits. The contactsin the shallow base maybe simple resilient spring strips, as shown at72a, F ig. 2.

WV hen a shallow base is used the lead wires running to the compressioncontacts therein are passed through the openings 16, after which thecavity 15 in said base is iilled with wax or similar easily meltedinsulating material, as at 73, Fig. 2, which not only secures the leadwires in place but also seals the openings 16 against the entrance ofmoisture.

lVhen the circuit connections pass directly through the coil the bell iswhat is known as a single stroke bell and produces a single stroke ofthe gong each time the circuit is completed, the hammer dropping backwhen the circuit is broken. Under some circumstances vibrating action,or in other words, rapidly repeated bell strokes are desirable. For thispurpose the bell mechanism may be provided with contact mechanism in thebell circuit actuated by movement of the armature arm, so as to rapidlymake and break the circuit. As illustrated the frame bridge member 49may serve to support an insulating` block 75 secured thereto by screws76a. In a recess of said block is secured a spring metal strip 7G havinga contact 77 co-operating with a contact 78 on an insulating block T9carried by the armature arm. rllhe contacts '77, 78 are included in thecircuit to the coil by running one of the Wires from the compressioncontact to the strip 76 and from the contact 'it to the coil. Spring armT6 is bent so that by its oivn resiliency it has a tendency to folloivthe armature arm in its movement. Indeed, were the armature arm movedslowly to the left in Fig. l contacts T7, T8 Would not separate.I-Iotvever, ivhen the coil is energized the armature arm moves to theleft very rapidly and at a speed faster than the spring arm T6.Therefore, the circuit is quickly brolren. The rebound. of the hammerfrom the vibrating gong throws the armature arm back again so that thearmature contact T8 meets the approach` ing spring Contact TT therebyagain complet ing the circuit and producing another action. rlhisarrangement is found to produce very rapid vibrating action Withoutchatter. Spring contact arm 76 may be reinforced to increase itsresiliency by a supplemental hacking spring S9, although this is notessential.

rihis application is a division of my prior application for electricbells, filed May 8, 1919, Serial No. 295,688.

That I claim is:

I. An electric bell, comprising a hollow casing' having a vertical frontWall and a rearwardly extending peripheral Wall forming a chamber, anelectro-magnet Within said chamber secured to the front Wall with itscore extending` rearwa dly therefrom, an

armature member swinging in a vertical plane, the ripper portion of saidfront Wall receding to form an outer recess, a striker, means foractuating said striker, said striker projecting forwardly in said recessfrom the receding portion of said front wall. f

2. An electric bell, comprising a hollow casing having a vertical frontWall and a rearwardly extending peripheral Wall forming chamber, anelectro-magnet within said chamber secured to the front ivall with itscore extending rearwardly therefrom, an armature member swinging in avertical plane, the uppe1 portion of said front Wall receding to form anouter recess, a horizontal packed shaft mounted on the receding 'portionof raid front wall and :arrying a striker extending forwardly in Saidrecess, and bail operating means carried by said shaft Within saidchamber for actuation by said armature member.

3. An electric bell, comprising a hollow casing having a vertical frontWall, a striker in front of said Wall, electroanagnetic means withinsaid casing for operating said striker, a gong protecting apron shieldon the casing, and cooperating means spaced on said shield and Wall forsecuring gongs of various sizes to said wall beneath said shield eachwith a portion thereof properly related to the striker.

l. An electric bell, comprising a hollowv casing having a vertical frontWall, a striker in front of said Wall, electro-magnetic means Withinsaid casing for operating said striker, a gong protecting` shieldcarried by the casing and having a portion depending in front of thefront wall thereof, the casing and shield being provided With aplurality ot spaced opposed openings to receive securing means for gongsof various sizes.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my signature.

LOUIS E. RICHMOND.

